Lumber-door for railroad box-cars



m3 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. B. NICHOLS.

, LUMBER DOOR FOB RAILROAD BOX CARS.

N0. 280,395. Patented July 3, 1883.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.v

G. B. NICHOLS.

LUMBER DOOR FOR RAILROAD BOX CARS. No. 280,395.

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UNITED, STATES PATENT QEEICE.

GEORGE B. NICHOLS, or GALVESTON, TEXAS.

LUMBER-[200R FOR RAILROAD BOX-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,395, dated July 3,1883,

Application filed December 6, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. NIoHoLs, of Galveston, in the county ofGalveston and State of Texas, have inventeda new and useful I111-provement in Lumber-Doors for Railroad Box- Cars; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.My invention relates to an improvement in railroad-cars, and it consistsin alumber-door situated at one end of the car and provided with devicesfor preventing rain, snow, or sparks from entering through the spaceabove the door.

on the return-trip were it not that lumber cannot be put in box-carsthrough the side doors. To enable this difficulty to be obviated andpermit of the loading of box-cars with lumber, I form a doorway in theend of the carthrough which the lumber is easilyloaded and unload-.

ed from the car, said doorwaybeing closed by a door and weather-shutter,as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Iwill now describe my invention so that others skilled in the art maymanufacture and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming apart of this specification, in Wl1l(3h Figure 1 isafront elevation of the end of the car, showing the door. Fig. 2 isarearv elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of thedoor and end of the car, and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a part ofthe same.

Like letters refer to like parts wherever they occur.

In the end of the car is a doorway, k, of sufficient size to allow oflumber being passed through the same into the car.

- On each side of the doorway k, on the outside of the car, are stripswhich form ways k [0 in WhichthedOOr slides up and down, so as t"closeand open the doorway is.

At the lower end of the doorway k is a sill, G, upon and against whichthelower end of the door rests when shut. Passing through the sill G isa bolt, H, around which is a spiral spring, I, the ends of which springbear against a plate, L, on the inner face of the sill G, and a pin, h,which passes through the bolt H.

(No model.)

a shutter, A. This rod B is secured to the shutter beyond the middleportion thereof, so that by the force of gravity the shutter will tendto assume aperpendicular position. The leaf or part A of the shutter,being heavier than the part A falls down upon and extends over the topedge of the door E, while the small part or leaf A rises and comes incontact with the weather-strip G, which is attached to and extends downfrom the upper portion of the casing D. When the door is opened it liftsthe shutter A, which turns on its axis B in the.

casing D and allows the passage of the door without interfering with themovement of the same. WVhen the car has been loaded, the door is shut byreleasing the same, and it falls of its own weight, or is drawn down.Theinclined plane f on the lug f strikes the end of the spring-bolt H,pushing it in, so as to allow the end of the door to pass the same andrest on the sill G. The end of the bolt H, then being opposite therecess F, is released and passes into the recess, being moved by thespring I, therebylocking the door automatically in such a manner that itcan only be unlocked from the inside of the car by withdrawing the boltH from the recess F. The shutter A, resting on and over the top end ofthe door, effectually prevents any water or sparks from entering the carbetween the top of the door and the doorway, and the portion A of theshutter bearing against the strip 0 makes a tight joint at that point.

The advantages of my invention are the saving of time and labor by theeasy transportation of lumber inbox-cars; and as my improved door isperfectly tight it does not injure the car for the purpose of thetransportation of other merchandise.

I am aware that a sliding door for box-cars has heretofore been providedwith a movable IOO weather and fire strip pivoted 011 the rear end ofthe door to swing across and close the crack between the door and carwhen the door was closed, and do not herein claim, broadly, thecombination of a sliding door and pivoted strip; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a box-car, the combination, with the end thereof, of avertically-sliding door and a shutter pivoted above the door,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a box-car, the combination of a vertically-sliding door and anoverbalanced shutter pivoted in the frame above the door and actuatedthereby, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a box-car, the combination of a sliding door provided with alifting-catch having a recess and an inclined face, with a spring-boltarranged on the inner face of the door-frame, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

4. In a box-car, the combination, with a vertically-sliding door, of anoverbalanced shut ter pivoted abovethe door, and a spark and weatherstrip secured to the door-frame above the pivoted shutter, substantiallyas and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with a sliding door, of 30 an overbalanced shutterpivoted on the doorframe in the path of the sliding door, substan tiallyas and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, with a sliding door, of

a shutter pivoted on the door-frame in the 35 GEORGE B. NICHOLS.

I \Vitnesses:

WILLIAM A. \Voon, CHARLES lfI. TELLS.

